Moss & Scaffolding

[Verse 1]
Leo's got the plans lit up on his Nokia screen
A Barclays building, six floors, Dulwich pristine
Concrete canvas, sterile, soulless and clean
He traces the cantilever, says, "Right here, the queen."
Not *the* queen, nah, the one from the block next door
Mrs. Adeoye, who scrubs the fourth floor
Her face in six-foot stencils, what they gentrifying for?
He maps the CCTV blind spots, I map the war.

[Pre-Chorus]
I'm thinking 'bout the cameras, the dogs, the five-grand fine
The cold of the cell, the loss of the time
Thinking 'bout the way my mum's hope is a thin, thin line
Feel the cold seep from the laminated design
I trace the brickwork with a numb fingertip
The taste of concrete dust is still on my lip...

[Chorus]
One can of primer, two cans of green
Lay down the roots where the roots ain't been seen
One roll of stencil, two hands, keep 'em clean
Paint the moss on the scaffolding, you know what I mean?

[Verse 2]
*"You're hesitating, Klex,"* his voice is low and tight
*"Saw you watching the Overground snake through the night.
They plant their Japanese maples, paint the cycle lanes bright
But they don't see the knotweed growing just out of sight.
This ain't just mischief, this is egbuje for the crew
It's for the gannets they pushed out for the view.
Meet me at three, when the security's new.
By sunrise, the whole of Rye Lane will have a clue."

[Pre-Chorus]
The night bus hisses past the A205
Smell of the chicken shop grease keeps the dream alive
I'm thinking 'bout my mum saying only the hardy survive
And the defiant yellow heads of the dandelions that thrive
He's right, the silence is a language of its own
A seed can't ask permission from a paving stone.

[Chorus]
One can of primer, two cans of green
Lay down the roots where the roots ain't been seen
One roll of stencil, two hands, keep 'em clean
Paint the moss on the scaffolding, you know what I mean?

[Outro]
He just grins, says, "Sis, you bringing the paint or what?"